African Paduak

Botanical Name: Pterocarpus soyauxii

Characteristics: A very tough, heavy and strong tropical hardwood found in Central and West Africa. Color is a deep red with brown grain that can deepen to a dark purplish brown during finishing. Relatively easy to work with but can be difficult to locate and fairly expensive. Generally used for furniture, flooring and work surfaces due to its strength and durability.

American Mahogany

Botanical Name: Swietenia macrophylla

Characteristics: A medium weight, durable and classical tropical hardwood primarily found in Central and South America. Color is light and usually streaked pink, a darker red or brown. Can be difficult to shape as the grain is inconsistent and can tear easily. Commonly used for furniture and cabinetry.

Black Cherry

Botanical Name: Prunus serotina

Characteristics: A hard, medium weight and strong wood usually with simple figuring found in North America. Color varies from light to medium reddish brown that darkens with finishing. Easy to shape and finish but rising in popularity and price. Commonly used for furniture, cabinetry, carving and musical instruments.

Bolivian Rosewood (sometimes known as Santos Rosewood)

Botanical Name: Machaerium schleroxylon

Characteristics: A hard, dense and heavy wood found in Central and South America. Color is a deep purplish brown with very dark brown and black grain lines. The grain varies from straight to very wavy. It is sold as a sustainable substitute for Brazilian Rosewood an endangered hardwood. Mainly used in furniture, flooring and cabinetry making.

Botanical Name: Centrolobium spp.

Characteristics: A dense and heavy wood found primarily in Panama, Ecuador and Brazil. Heartwood is yellow or orange turning reddish brown upon exposure to air. Heavily figured pieces can display deep red, olive green, pink, gray and even blue straight, wavy or streaked grain lines. Quality pieces can be rare and expensive. Its many uses include musical instruments, fine furniture and cabinetry.

Cocobolo

Botanical Name: Dalbergia retusa

Characteristics: A very heavy, strong and naturally waterproof tropical hardwood found in Central America. Color is a red with streaking of dark red, yellow, orange and burgundy, the lighter streaks darken over time. It is extremely difficult to work with as its dusts poses serious health risks including breathing problems and allergic skin reactions. Quality pieces are rare, difficult to obtain and very expensive. Commonly used for veneers, handles or musical instruments.

Botanical Name: Populus species

Characteristics: A lightweight, softer and sustainable wood found in Europe and North America. Is light and easy to work with, having a variety of uses including construction framing, boxes and crates.

Botanical Name: Peltogyne species

Characteristics: A very heavy and strong hardwood found primarily in Central and South America. Color is purple (as the name implies) but the deepness of the hue can vary. May be difficult to work with as the grain varies and can tear easily. Purpleheart finishes well but has become costly and difficult to find. Commonly used for specialty flooring, billiard tables and cues.

Botanical Name: Liquidamber styraciflua

Characteristics: A strong, medium weight wood found in North America. This species of tree features two distinctly different woods when cut open: Sweet Gum, the lighter colored sap wood and Red Gum the darker colored heartwood. Red Gum is usually a lighter to deep reddish brown with darker streaks and an irregular grain. Widely used for cabinetry, flooring and musical equipment.

Botanical Name: Acer saccharum

Characteristics: A hard, strong and heavy wood found in North America. Color is very light that darkens with finishing and has reddish brown grain lines. Hardness and strength make it tough on table saws and routers but its straight grain allows for an even finish. Sugar maple has many variations including Bird’s Eye, Curly, Quilted and Tiger. Mainly used in furniture and flooring.

Botanical Name: Juglans nigra

Characteristics: A medium strength, medium to heavy weight wood with a straight grain and even texture found in the United States and Canada. Color is medium to dark brown with varying light and dark streaks. Easy to work with but produces a large amount of dust requiring additional attention during gluing and finishing. Used for a wide array of projects including furniture, cabinetry, boats and guitars.

Botanical Name: Millettia laurentii

Characteristics: An extremely strong and dense tropical hardwood. Color is a rich dark brown or black with tiny golden flecks and lighter veins that darken during the finishing process. Difficult to shape as the grain has a coarse texture and tears easily. Widely used in furniture and flooring.

Medium Density Fiberboard a/k/a MDF

Characteristics: A heavy, man-made board manufactured of various materials including ground wood fibers glued together. Unlike wood, it has no grain. MDF is easily shaped but can warp if left unfinished for long periods of time in areas that experience dramatic climate change.

Acrylic Glass (Polymethyl Methacrylate or PMMA)

Characteristics: A glass alternative that is strong and scratch resistant. It has excellent clarity but can crack under large amounts of pressure. It is used for home and submarine windows. *The acrylic glass is pictured with it's protective film (the film will be either blue or clear) that removes easily - we leave the film in place during shipping.

*Lexan®, another glass substitute, is sometimes used for arcade sticks instead of Acrylic glass. We do not use Lexan as it is very expensive and we have found it scratches easily. There is nothing wrong with using Lexan over Acrylic. To keep our customers costs low and since we consider the chances of a gamer scratching their case greater than breakage we use Acrylic glass.